When it comes to childcare, Ireland is closer to America than Europe

Two-thirds of crèches nationwide have vacancies... 20,000 cots and tubby chairs which need to be filled, writes Victoria White

THIS country is beginning to feel more and more like the rogue European state where US companies have more of a say than people.

We are seventh from the bottom of the OECD league when it comes to spending on maternity and parental leave, with only Greece, Israel, Chile, New Zealand, Korea, and Turkey behind us, while the US doesn’t feature at all. Countries at the top of the league, Luxembourg, Norway, Estonia, Finland, and Sweden spend six or seven times as much as we do.